Afghan children in South Korea welcome new life away from war and restrictions

Girls can now freely participate in activities like taekwondo, while other children say it is the first time they have had a war-free life

Almost 400 people were evacuated to South Korea in August, and are now undergoing a social integration programme to help them adjust to Korean society

Reading Time:2 minutes

Afghan refugees play a game of football in Jincheon on October 13, 2021. Photo: AP

Published: 8:51pm, 13 Oct 2021Updated: 8:51pm, 13 Oct 2021

A group of Afghan children, who were part of almost 400 people evacuated to South Korea in August, on Wednesday shared their relief of being able to enjoy life with their families in a new country away from war and restrictions.

“In Afghanistan, you can’t do activities as freely as men do,” one young girl told reporters after a taekwondo class on Wednesday. “It’s satisfying to do taekwondo without a hijab in Korea right now.”

A boy at the class said he had never known a war-free life until his family fled Afghanistan.

“Most of my experience living in Afghanistan had been war, and when I listened to the history I heard from my parents, I only heard about war,” one boy at the Taekwondo class told reporters. “Now, life in Korea is stable and I am enjoying life.”

Afghan children at a taekwondo class in Jincheon. Photo: EPA-EFE

The children were not identified by age or name under an agreement with South Korean government officials, who organised the interviews with foreign media to show how they were adjusting to life in markedly different surroundings.

The refugees are currently staying at temporary housing facilities in Jincheon, a rural county about 90 kilometres southeast of Seoul, as they undergo a “Social Integration Program” aimed at helping them to lead an independent life in the country and to understand the basic laws needed to adjust to Korean society.